Update from our Carolinas Director Tony McEwen on a recent visit to western NC to meet with and support Hurricane Helene-impacted communities.
Recently wrapped up another trip to visit with local leaders from Hurricane Helene impacted communities in western North Carolina. My roots run deep in WNC and it's tough to see how significantly impacted these areas are and how considerable of a recovery they face. I've enjoyed bringing some of my fellow American Flood Coalition teammates to the region who have deep expertise in emergency management and federal funding streams that could be a source of information, especially for smaller towns with limited capacity. As we have worked to uncover forward looking priorities from local leaders from impacted communities we are certainly hearing common concerns and themes that state and local governments need to grapple with. There are urgent needs to help local economies stay afloat like small business assistance and agriculture and tourism sector assistance. Many individuals still need basic housing and financial assistance, especially as winter quickly approaches. Working to better streamline government response and taking a common sense approach to red tape and regulation reduction is desperately needed. As we begin to focus on longer term recovery much of what we have heard falls into these catagories: 1) Reducing government bureaucracy to speed recovery 2) Better access to recurring state and federal funding so communities can invest in more resilient infrastructure 3) Investing in tools to better understand flood and landslide risk 4) Improve public safety and save taxpayer dollars by incorporating flood and landslide risk into public investments and planning This will be a long recovery with much at stake throughout western NC. We look forward to being a supportive ally to the amazing communities across this special part of our great country.
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